In the restaurant business it is typical for drinks to be served accompanying the food. In most restaurants a server initially take the drink orders of the customers once the customers have been seated at a table. This gives the customers some time to peruse the menu and decide what appetizers and entrees they would like to order. In most sit-down restaurants, beverages are served in glasses which are manufactured from the material glass, and are completely open at the top. A beverage is poured into the glass and the glass is then transported to the customer's table for their consumption. The fact that most glasses are completely open at the top means that it is necessary for the server to keep the glasses level when delivering them to the customer's table. Tipping the glasses too far in any direction results in spilling of the liquid which is contained within the beverage glass. This can cause issues if the spill is in a well traveled area and on a smooth surface; the spill can potentially cause other servers who subsequently pass through the area to slip and spill more liquid or drop food on the ground. This results in lost product and often times broken dishes which is a cost that most restaurants prefer to avoid as much as possible.
There are several different methods currently utilized to deliver beverage glasses to the customer's table. If only one or two customers are present, then it is possible for the server to simply carry the beverage glasses using their hands. This method carries the lowest risk of spilling the beverage or dropping the glasses, but is inefficient due to the fact that the server can only carry two beverage glasses at once. A more efficient method that is commonly used is to utilize a tray to carry multiple beverages at once. In use, the tray is set down and the beverages are transferred onto the tray and then the server pick up the tray and carries it to the customer's table. There is no support for the beverages apart from the surface of the tray, and therefore it is very easy for the beverages to slide on the tray or even fall off of the tray if the tray is subjected to any tipping or sudden impacts. If a server carrying a tray loaded with beverages is bumped or slips, it is very likely that the beverage glasses will slide, tip, and potentially fall to the ground and be destroyed. This is very costly for the restaurant as they are losing items vital to the operation of the restaurant, and are wasting employee labor by having to clean up the mess which results from glass breakage. Furthermore, it is important to note that the more beverages place on the tray, the higher the risk involved with carrying the tray as the increased weight can make it easier for the server to lose control of the tray. It is clear that the average tray provides insufficient support to prevent the chance of costly and time consuming spills and breakages.
Based upon the issues discussed above, it is clear that there is need for a new apparatus which is superior to the tray for transporting beverages to the customer's table. As result of this fact, it is an object of the present invention to create an apparatus which is capable of carrying a plurality of beverages securely. It is an object of the present invention to provide horizontal support to the plurality of beverages in addition to the vertical support used to carry the plurality of beverages. The horizontal support helps to prevent the beverages form sliding around should the present invention be tilted, bumped, or jostled. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a retaining wall whose height is sufficient to contain any liquid that may spill from the glasses should the present invention be tilted, bumped, or jostled. It is an additional object of the present invention to be easily carried in one hand such that two of the present invention can be carried by one server, thereby greatly augmenting that server's drink transporting abilities. The present invention may also be capable of transporting straws which are commonly used in restaurants to allow the customers to drink their beverages without putting their mouths on the edge of the glass. It is a further object of the present invention to also be stackable such that it can be easily stored in a space efficient manner. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a server with the ability to carry a greater quantity of beverages in a single trip, allowing them to expeditiously deliver beverages to multiple tables and guests. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a safer alternative to existing beverage transport system by lowering the center of gravity during beverage transportation, reducing accidental slips and falls that could cause serious injury to the server and result in worker compensation disputes as well as possible personal injury lawsuit to a restaurant owner.